A sensor that can detect potholes...

Other Hardware Sensors
1

Hello, I'm looking for a sensor that can help this shoe I'm designing to detect potholes, little steps etc. on the path of the user. Is it possible? IR and ultrasonic sensors won't do that. Maybe I could place them with an angle so that if there is a pothole, the distance value changes? Please help.

2

I don't think we can give any help unless you describe in detail what YOU think a pot hole is. If your description fits any sensor or combination of sensors, then you have a chance.

Paul

3

Well, I mean a hole in the ground that can effect the balance of the user if stepped on. I need a system that can detect the hole and warn the user in advance. Not just a hole tho, I want it to detect an increase in height as well, a step of a stair for example.

4

I think you'd be better mounting your sensor at waist height to eliminate the complex sensor movement when attached to a moving shoe. You'd probably need to be thinking about a ToF camera, something like this one, and a boat load of math.

Simple idea, but really complex to implement. I wouldn't recommend it as a first project.

5

enginefreak:
Well, I mean a hole in the ground that can effect the balance of the user if stepped on. I need a system that can detect the hole and warn the user in advance. Not just a hole tho, I want it to detect an increase in height as well, a step of a stair for example.

How is that different from stepping off a curb?

Paul

6

I fear something fairly sophisticated using a Lidar unit would be required to do a good job of this, or maybe a structured-light sensor (Kinect for instance). This gives you a 3D point cloud that can be analyzed for surface smoothness

7

Probably requires some form of computer vision indeed. This sounds to me as very hard to pull off, especially if you want real time data processing. The whole image is moving as the person walks forward, at the same time the distance of the sensor to the ground is moving, potholes and steps come in all kinds of sizes and shapes.
A hole may be small enough to support a foot from both side if placed in the middle, but big enough to cause imbalance if placed on the side. A hole is only a danger if the user wants to put their foot just at the wrong place, a step in the path is something the user should always react to.